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The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.

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Ever wonder what libraries around the country are doing to engage families? Learn the answer to this question and others through HFRP and PLA’s national survey of family engagement in public libraries—– the results of which are presented here.

Make way for mathematics digital media! New research reveals that regular use of digital games and hands-on mathematics activities at home, along with parent training around digital media for learning, can improve mathematics outcomes for young children.

Learning mathematics starts in infancy and happens anywhere, anytime. In this commentary, Taniesha Woods explores what young children need to know about math, what environments rich in mathematics learning look like, and how families can support children’s math development.

In this Q & A with Laura Overdeck, learn how Bedtime Math is giving families and children comfort in talking about numbers in their daily lives, and helping families and afterschool programs get children excited about math in the world around them.

Design Thinking cultivates fertile ground for promoting deep understanding and action-oriented partnerships between families and educators to support student learning. Discover five steps that enable families and educators to create meaningful strategies for family engagement.

Teachers are often among the most influential adults in a child’s decision to stay engaged in or disengaged from school. Hear from Nancy Brown, Paulo’s math teacher, about her perspective on and concerns about Paulo’s direction in school.

Meet Miguel, a friend of the Domínguez family, who mentors Paulo and tutors him in math. Miguel was also a part of the Más Allá program for college-bound students when he was in middle school and high school. Now he attends college.

In this next section, we explore data for Bay Vista Middle School and the Más Allá program. Looking at these data will help provide a glimpse into the larger setting in which Paulo’s story is situated.

In the final section of the Staying on the Path Toward College Interactive Case, we piece it all together. We think about the principles guiding smooth transitions to middle school that lead to high school and college success, assumptions people in the case make, and how difficult issues might be resolved.

Marisela is at the center of the Making a Decision About College Interactive Case. A senior in high school who dreams of becoming a doctor, Marisela is conflicted about whether to go away to college or stay close to home for her education.

At Palmdale High School, Jonathan Stewart is the only guidance counselor for 550 students. Based on the little he knows about Marisela, he wonders if she should stay local to help her mother with her siblings.

In the final section of the Making a Decision About College Interactive Case, we piece it all together. We think about the principles guiding the decision to go away to college, assumptions people in the case make, and how difficult issues might be resolved.

Sylvia Acevedo, chair of the Early Learning Subcommittee of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, writes about the struggles first-generation students and their families face when making decisions about college, interwoven with her own personal story.

A key principle in the definition of family engagement is that it is continuous across time. In this commentary, we explore why thinking of family engagement in this way matters, and we learn about tools educators can use to develop the skills to promote it.

Paulo Domínguez is an intelligent sixth-grade boy who has recently become disengaged from schoolwork and is hanging out with peers whom his teachers and parents fear are a bad influence. Begin here to read Paulo’s story.

Michele Brooks, the former assistant superintendent of family and student engagement for Boston Public Schools, shares her insights on district leadership for effective and sustainable family engagement.

Creating high-quality early childhood systems necessitates a strong focus on family engagement. Check out how Oregon is adopting an equity lens and building a strong foundation to engage families by leveraging federal funds, community leadership, and philanthropic investments.

A human-centered design approach – an approach that is based on observation, empathy, optimism, collaboration, and experimentation – opens new possibilities for educators to motivate and sustain family engagement.